Five things to watch and a prediction for Cowboys-Lions

A FUTURE SUPER BOWL CHAMP?: Seeking to go 4-0 for the first time since 1980, the once downtrodden Lions are drawing comparisons from Troy Aikman and others to the Cowboys of the 1990s, who won the first of their three Super Bowls that decade just three seasons after going 1- 15.

Detroit went 0-16 in 2008 and was 6-10 last season. With New England having lost last week, the Lions now own the longest current winning streak in the league at seven games.

“A young team that is talented, like them, is a dangerous team,” Aikman told SportingNews.com.

It’s easy to see why Aikman and others are on the Lions bandwagon. With young stars anchoring both sides of the ball (quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Calvin Johnson on offense and lineman Ndamukong Suh on defense), Detroit is the only team ranked in the top five in points scored (fourth with 101) and third in points allowed (third with 46).

“They’re starting to play with a lot of confidence,” Aikman said.

A SUH-PERIOR GAME?: Suh is a two-time loser in his only appearances at Cowboys Stadium, falling there with Nebraska in the 2009 Big 12 championship game against Texas and 35-19 in last season’s outing against the Cowboys.

“Yeah, I don’t really like that stadium,” the Detroit Free Press quoted Suh as saying. “I’m 0-2 there, so I plan on going down there this week, (and having) my own kind of extra oomph. I want to come out a winner at last once in that stadium.”

Given the sketchy play of the Cowboys’ offensive line this season, Suh’s chances of breaking his Arlington losing skid seem solid. The 2010 NFL rookie of the year, who has two sacks after finishing last season with 10, will be lined up mainly against 32-year-old guard Kyle Kosier.

“He’s a great player,” Dallas coach Jason Garrett said of Suh. “Very explosive, quick off the ball, very good against the run, disruptive in the pass game, relentless, and when you have him and those other guys up front playing together, it’s a daunting defensive line, it really is.”

One of those other guys is end Kyle Vanden Bosch, who has three sacks. The Cowboys offensive line so far this season has allowed Tony Romo to be hit 18 times and sacked six times, so Suh & Co. could be in for a big game.

JUMPING WITH JOHNSON: With the possible exception of Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald, no receiver is better at winning jump balls than the 6-foot-5, 236-pound Johnson, who has a league-high six touchdowns and is the first player in NFL history to have at least two receiving TDs in each of a team’s first three games of a season.

“He’s bigger than everybody else,” Garrett said. “He jumps up and catches the ball over his head and he runs with it after the catch. He’ll be a tremendous challenge.”

With that said, the Cowboys are counting on safety Gerald Sensabaugh to provide coverage over the top against Johnson. Coming out of North Carolina in 2005, Sensabaugh recorded an NFL scouting combine-best 46-inch vertical leap

“Calvin’s in his own league with what he does,” Sensabaugh said. “He’s real big, he has good hands and he’s able to make plays, especially on jump-balls.

“But I feel I’ll always have a chance, as long as you’re not 7-11 or something.”

COWBOYS CONTINUING TO CLAMP DOWN ON THE RUN: The Cowboys defense is off to a strong start under new coordinator Rob Ryan, but it should be pointed out that the three quarterbacks the unit faced in Weeks 1-3 were named Mark Sanchez, Alex Smith and Rex Grossman.

The Lions’ Matthew Stafford is a completely different animal.

A graduate of Dallas’ Highlands Park High School, the strong-armed Stafford is the league’s third-rated passer and is averaging 8.3 yards per completion. Dallas yields 7.3 yards per pass play, which ranks second in the conference and fifth in the league, and has a league-best 13 sacks. But, again, let’s not forget who they’ve faced.

With all that said, though, the Cowboys have a good chance of frustrating Stafford if they can shut down the run and make the Lions one-dimensional. Considering Dallas has the third-best defense against the run (61 yards per game), while Detroit’s offense is 30th on the ground, DeMarcus Ware should have plenty of opportunities to pin back his ears and come at Stafford.

DETROIT’S OFFENSIVE LINE: The Lions offensive line yielded five sacks against the Vikings last week. It doesn’t get any easier today against the sack happy Cowboys, who have six players with at least one trap, including Ware with a league-high five.

“(Ryan’s) defense is an absolute nightmare to prepare for,” Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan told Detroit reporters. “He has everybody playing hard and they believe and buy into what they’re doing him. There’s been a lot of sleepless nights for me and the other offensive coaches.”

Helping ease Linehan’s mind is the fact left tackle Jeff Backus and right tackle Gosder Cherilus limited Ware to half a sack in last year’s meeting. Backus and Cherilus were solid in Weeks 1-2 and they’re confident they can rebound after last week’s struggles in the Metrodome.

PREDICTION: Dallas had a short week to prepare after its gritty 18-16 win over Washington on Monday night. Detroit, meanwhile, will be seeking its second straight road win after overcoming a 20-point deficit to beat Minnesota 26-23 in overtime last Sunday. The Cowboys so far have been able to overcome the injuries that have weakened their receiving corps – Miles Austin is out again with a hamstring – and secondary, but the Lions have more firepower on both sides of the ball than San Francisco and Washington. Another plus for Detroit: Stafford is familiar with Rob Ryan’s defensive schemes after passing for a then-rookie record 422 yards and five TDs in leading the Lions to a 38-37 win over Cleveland in November 2009.

This is a measuring stick game for the Lions and one that could have wild-card playoff implications. They’ll play accordingly. LIONS 24, COWBOYS 20